Letter: DSS’s hurricane role

Tanya Roberts, Craven County DSS, Board chair

Friday

Aug 9, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 9, 2013 at 8:35 PM

Hurricane season is upon us and those living near the coast are prepared with generators, bottled water and batteries. If you live in a particular area or in a less secure home, you may have planned to stay in a shelter or to go to one afterward should your home sustain substantial damage. One thing many of us never consider is who prepares our shelters and who stays in them for the duration of need?

Most of us assume that the American Red Cross is completely responsible for manning the shelters. While this is true, it is not the whole story. Our local county Departments of Social Services (DSS) staff are also part of this emergency team. In CravenCounty, there are about 90 staff who are working or on call to provide support at the shelters and to report to work immediately following a storm. In addition to these folks, the DSSdirector and assistant director are assigned to the EmergencyOperationsCenter, EOC, to coordinate all shelter activities and to assist with other needs of the EOC.

Our local DSSis also responsible for identifying county residents who have special needs and may need specific attention during a storm. This includes people with special needs, the elderly, and those who are bed-ridden and depend upon electricity for operation of essential medical equipment.

There are a lot of other things N.C. county DSSís do all year long, much of which most people are not aware. So while you are riding out the next storm with your family and monitoring the damage to your home and property, think about the dozens of DSSstaff in our county who cannot be with their families and homes, but are working to help others ride out the storms.

If you anticipate needing help during hurricane season, please contact the Craven County Department of Social Services at 636-4900 today.

Tanya Roberts, Craven County DSS, Board chair

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